New Year

Chris took this.

Yes, I took a nearly four month break. On purpose. No, not really on purpose. I’m just relieved I dropped the blog and not something else like the daily care of my children.

So why the break? For one thing…

School started! Clara and I have been schooling at home. We’ve only been using one real curriculum, because she’s not even five yet. After a couple of dud starts in other beginning reading programs we settled on First Start Reading by Cheryl Lowe, and we also work in the first of the Memoria Press Copybooks. No need to push her to do a lot of seat work when kids this age are learning from sunrise to sunset.

We also use Classical Conversations for weekly memory work in seven subjects: History, Geography, Math, Latin, Science, English and Timeline. We are blessed to meet and learn once a week with other CCers. We introduce new memory work, review previous memory work, participate in a science experiment or two, enjoy a fine arts lesson (12 weeks of art and 12 weeks of music,) and the kids also learn the priceless discipline of public speaking. I tutor Clara’s class. It is fun, but it took up a lot of my extra time, especially for the first couple of months. Totally worth it. And completely God-ordained. He orchestrated the whole thing- from the moment I first read about CC online, to the day we visited the campus last year, to being asked to tutor, then to give me the energy and motivation to see the thing through. At least so far. We are in week 16 out of 24. So we’ve got a few more to go!

Clara will be in kindergarten next year, so I have been researching all the math programs. I’m always happy to hear opinions! Horizons and Saxon both appeal to me. The trick is to find something that appeals to Clara, as well. Part of what makes schooling at home so wonderful is that your program is tailor made for your children. Does it get any better than that? So I really want to pick the right curriculum for every subject.

Another reason you haven’t heard from me…

I dislike writing on here when I don’t have something to say. What good does it do to add more words to the millions published daily? And I’ve got to say that I just wasn’t feeling it. I needed to be encouraged more than I needed to give encouragement for the last season of my life. It was a weird time. The last of my beloved Quigley sisters finally left the area- got married and is now moving to NYC! Another good friend moved away and took with her Clara’s oldest friend. You remember Joni? She took all of the recent photographs, and plenty before that, too. She and her husband are doing well up north in Paris, TN and I’m so proud of her. Happy she is doing something she does so well and beautifully.

Ah, sooooo…..what else? I guess I’d better save something for next time. I’ll talk bread then, too. I keep making it for everyone but my precious blog readers! I’m such a blue meanie.